Glint let out a nervous chuckle "I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that, you would have to ask for something else, let's say the greatest secret in Aetheria"
"That's not what we want" Aiden contested, "If you can't kill the beast you would just have to answer the riddle"
"It's not like I don't want to help, I simply can't… as a servant of the demon king I can't kill his pet" Glint explained
"Then we have no deal" Aiden calmly stated.
"No, wait!" Glint called out after weighing his options. "I may not be able to kill it, but I can seal it, and then you can go in and retrieve your treasure, how does that sound?"
Aiden looked at Cian as if he was asking for his approval, to which Cian nodded in reply.
"Okay, you do that and the question trade would be called off" Aiden replied.
They had come to an agreement, and now Glint had to hold up to his side of the deal. He stepped into the inner chamber on his own, leaving the companions outside.
After a few minutes, he returned and signalled them to come in.
As they entered the large hall, a giant beast lay in the middle. All three heads rested peacefully on the ground as if they were asleep.
---
**Three-headed hound of the Demon King**
"Aigar"
HP: 49,970/49,970
Beast Grade: S-rank{lvl 256}
—
"Be careful not to step on the seal," Glint warned, motioning to what looked like a magic circle on the ground.
"It's a simple seal that would easily break if disturbed," he added.
Just the presence of the sleeping beast was enough to strike fear in the hearts of both Cian and Aiden. It was like the king of destruction laid before them.
Cian could almost feel his leg give out as the beast let out a small sleeping growl.
'So this is the monster I was about to fight' he couldn't help but reason.
"Warrior Cian this monster would have ripped you apart," Aiden said as they stared in awe.
"Thanks for the information," Cian mumbled sarcastically.
"You are both very lucky, only a few people have ever seen this beast and lived to tell the story. It served the Demon King almost as long as I did before his death a thousand years ago"
"During Aigar's glory days, it could go toe to toe with low-level dragons, that was before the warriors arrived, when the Badlands was still a constant battlefield for beasts, demons, and gods"
As he spoke, Cian could easily imagine that happening, with the size of the massive and ferocious teeth sticking out of its mouths.
Cian had read that Aetheria had its own history, containing different legends and myths. This history was filled with demons, beasts, and creatures powerful enough to be called gods, but the pinnacle of all was an invisible being called the Demon King.
It's possible the Demon King was simply just a beta tester for the game after it was created by the Eternalblue.
According to the legends, his death was what gave way for the warriors to come to Aetheria. All these stories are crucial parts of the game for both NPCs and players.
Cian remained awe-struck until his timer informed him that he had less than a minute left online before he would get forced out of the game.
He had lost track of time due to all the events that had happened up until now, and now he was going to get logged out.
Both him and Aiden were in a safe environment, so he could trust to return after a few hours and Aiden would still be safe. There was no time for a proper farewell, as he was in the final thirty seconds of his time online.
"Aiden, I won't be gone for too long, so try to stay in one place"
Aiden was confused by Cian's words, "Where are you going?"
"It would be hard to explain so just wait for m-" Cian couldn't complete his words as his body pixelated and faded away.
Aiden took a few startled steps back, he was surprised and confused. He turned to look at Glint, who just remained indifferent.
"He probably returned to his world, you might not know this but warriors aren't really from our world, their existence is a mystery on its own… one that I still can't answer in all my years of searching" Glint explained
"I know they aren't from our world, but this is the first time I'm witnessing this" Aiden replied.
His words broke Glint's indifferent expression, making him a bit surprised "You know? How?"
To the best of his knowledge, Aiden was a simple villager and Cian had received a quest to guard him. There was no was no way a simple villager would know something like that.
"You'd be surprised by the things I know," Aiden replied with a prideful but mysterious air.
"In fact, it's even better now that he has gone, let's make another deal" he added with a grin.
Glint felt a chill run down his spine, this character couldn't be trusted. He was very mysterious.
"What deal?" He asked, he cautiously inquired.
"Don't you want to know the answer to that riddle? You are a man of questions so I'm sure it's killing you not knowing, I can tell you but you'd have to tell me something else" Aiden proposed.
Indeed Glint hadn't forgotten the riddle, he had gone over it so many times in his head but there was still no answer.
"You can't trick me, there's no answer, you simply used that to escape death," Glint said, momentarily losing his composure. Who knew a day would come when the trickster would be scared of getting tricked?
"Oh but there is an answer and I'm the only one who knows it"
Glint's eyes widened with disbelief, offsetting his curiosity. The fervent desire to learn wasn't something he could contain. If it was true he needed to know, but he couldn't risk falling for one of Aiden's tricks again.
"What is it that you wish to know?" Glint questioned.
"It's nothing much, it's just that I'm looking for a particular treasure and I don't have the time to go through the whole temple so you'll just be making it easier for me" Aiden replied.
If all he wanted was the treasure, then it wouldn't hurt if he gave it to him right? Afterall even if he didn't, he would still find it eventually.
"I'd feel a little guilty if I didn't tell you, most of the treasures in this temple are in that box on the altar, if you go through it you'd definitely find what you are looking for" Glint confessed.
"But if you still want my help then It's no problem, I'll show you all the treasures so you can have your pick"
"Yes, I'd like that" Aiden replied with a smile. "A simple question trade"
"The answer to the riddle is….